Field
This application relates generally to golf statistics, specifically to methods, systems, and apparatus that facilitate the production and presentation of strokes gained golf statistics.
Prior Art
Despite the growing popularity of golf at both the amateur and professional levels, the sport has been relatively slow to develop quality statistics. With the development of better analytical tools, many sports have seen dramatic changes on many levels. In the last several years, the golf world has been introduced to a promising new statistical methodology called “strokes gained”, and golf is now poised to join other sports with revolutionary analytics.
Many people who understand the game of golf have long known, or at least suspected, that standard golf statistics can be very misleading, particularly when it comes to measuring the skills of a golfer in a given category. For example, the statistic called “Total Putts” is often used to measure the putting skill of a golfer. However, “total putts” is a very poor reflection of putting skill because it is strongly tied to a non-putting skill: the proximity to the hole of an approach shot is a major factor in how many putts a golfer would be expected to take to finish a hole. Consequently, a golfer who hit approach shots to an average of eight feet from the hole for a round might take 30 putts in a round. Another golfer who hit approach shots to an average of 25 feet from the hole for a round could also take 30 putts for a round. The “total putts” statistic would indicate that the golfers had equivalent putting skill for the round. It is obvious, however, that the second golfer had a dramatically better round of putting.
Similar examples can be given for other standard statistics. The “driving accuracy” statistic is a poor measure of skill off the tee: a 300 yard drive in the middle of the fairway is greatly superior to a 200 yard drive in the center of the fairway. “Driving Distance” is no better: 310 yard drives in deep rough, or out of bounds, are clearly inferior to 260 yard drives in the fairway. Combining those two statistics into a new statistic called “Total Driving” does not solve the problem, and in many ways makes it worse. Even long-standing statistics like “Greens in Regulation” are deeply flawed. Designed to reflect skill from tee to green, the statistic does not take into account the proximity-to-hole of approach shots, giving equal value to approaches two feet or 80 feet from the hole.
A major advance in golf statistics began around 2003, when the PGA TOUR began to employ a unique data collection system called ShotLink™. Comprising data for millions of shots taken by professional golfers during tournament play since 2003, the ShotLink™ system operates on the PGA TOUR. The ShotLink™ system is operated by a small staff of employees and a large volunteer workforce. It normally takes approximately 250 volunteers per event to collect data for a golf tournament, using laser technology to measure distances and physical observation to determine lie type, along with significant additional technology to collect and store the data.
Around the same time the PGA TOUR was beginning to collect detailed data on the PGA TOUR using ShotLink™, Mark Broadie, a business professor at Columbia University, was developing a unique way to analyze golfer performance using a program called Golfmetrics. This software was the first to use detailed strokes-to-hole benchmarks and was the first embodiment of strokes gained methodology. Prior to obtaining ShotLink™ data, the Golfmetrics analytical software was dependent upon manual collection of data during rounds of golf, using pencil and paper, and subsequent manual entry of the data into a database. In the beginning, Golfmetrics used data almost entirely from amateur golfers.
Strokes gained methodology began to take a more refined shape when Broadie gained access to ShotLink™ data, and he began to apply his Golfmetrics analytics to that data. With the quality and quantity of data provided by ShotLink™, Broadie was able to refine the details of strokes gained methodology. Broadie's work appeared in a white paper entitled “Assessing Golfer Performance Using Golf metrics” (Chapter 34 in Science and Golf V: Proceedings of the 2008 World Scientific Congress of Golf, eds. D. Crews and R. Lutz. Energy in Motion Inc., Mesa, Ariz., 253-262). It also appeared in “Assessing Golfer Performance on the PGA Tour”, Apr. 27, 2010, revised Apr. 8, 2011. In “Assessing Golfer Performance on the PGA Tour”, in addition to explaining the statistical formulas involved, Broadie published tables of PGA TOUR player strokes gained data representing the average strokes-to-hole values for distances-to-hole from 0 to 600 yards, from lies including tee, fairway, rough, sand, ‘recovery’, and green (for putts). The two papers, including the tables of PGA averages, as well as a similar table Broadie created for putting, are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
Strokes gained methodology works by first establishing a strokes-to-hole benchmark for a specified group of golfers. Broadie determined that the most significant factors for determining the number of strokes it takes to complete a hole are distance-to-hole and lie type. Using ShotLink™ data representing millions of shots performed by a group comprised of all PGA TOUR players over the course of many years, Broadie determined the average strokes-to-hole from every distance-to-hole and lie type combination possible.
Virtually any benchmark could similarly be established by calculating the average strokes-to-hole for all ball conditions for any specified group of golfers, but the PGA TOUR benchmark proves particularly valuable. The PGA TOUR benchmark is exceptionally solid and stable, as it is based upon millions of shots by a very consistently performing group. It also provides a benchmark of the highest level performers in the world, which neatly establishes a top-level foundation to which all other shots can be compared.
Once the benchmark is established, calculating strokes gained values for a shot requires a specific set of data for that shot: the identity of the golfer performing the shot, pre-shot distance-to-hole, pre-shot lie type, post-shot distance-to-hole, and post-shot lie type. Representing the minimum data necessary to implement strokes gained methodology, these five pieces of data are herein referred to as “essential shot data”.
Broadie describes strokes gained statistics as “a quantitative measure of the quality of a golf shot”, and presents a simple formula for its calculation:gi=J(di,ci)−J(di+1,ci+1)−1.
Where gi is the strokes gained on the ith shot on a hole that starts at (di, ci) and finishes at (di+1, ci+1), J is the benchmark in terms of the average number of strokes a PGA TOUR player takes to finish the hole from the current location, di is the distance-to-hole from the current condition of the ball, ci is the lie type of the current condition of the ball. Strokes gained represents the decrease in the average number of strokes to finish the hole from the beginning of the shot to the end of the shot, minus one to account for the stroke taken.
This statistic can be applied to value each shot individually in terms of strokes, gained or lost, to the benchmark, and cumulatively to assign a strokes gained over the entire hole, round, tournament, date range, specific shot category, or any specific range of golf shots desired. This can be done for any shot or defined group of shots on a golf course: any distance or distance range, any lie, any round or group of rounds. The spectrum of application to specific categories is virtually endless.
To those who understand it, strokes gained methodology produces statistics that are clearly superior to standard golf statistics, largely making them obsolete. There is little doubt that the strokes gained method of analysis will eventually dominate the landscape of golf statistics. Unlike traditional golf statistics, strokes gained statistical analysis provides the ability to quantify the quality of any shot against a statistically significant benchmark in terms of fractions of strokes. Strokes gained methodology provides a powerful tool to analyze all elements of golfer performance, and a way to measure virtually any factor, including courses, clubs, weather, etc. Strokes gained methodology has the potential to revolutionize the way people think about golf.
However, the integration of strokes gained statistics into the world of golf has been surprisingly slow. On the PGA TOUR, where ShotLink™ data is already collected and strokes gained analysis tools are already in place, the only statistic currently available is Strokes Gained Putting, which represents a small fraction of the statistics that could be made available. PGA TOUR players and coaches do not have access to their personal strokes gained statistics other than Stokes Gained Putting, and golf analysts and the media have few tools to use the significant power of strokes gained to enhance commentary and analysis of tournaments.
Because the PGA TOUR has been so slow to develop and promote strokes gained, the huge amount of people who view PGA TOUR events on television are not educated about its value. Most people simply don't understand how strokes gained works or why it is potentially valuable. If they knew more about it, many golfers would desire strokes gained as an analytical tool for their own games. For most people interested in golf, Strokes Gained Putting is a stat they may be slightly familiar with, but generally strokes gained is shrouded in mathematical mystery. Many are under the false assumption that strokes gained is impossible without ShotLink™ technology for collecting data, and therefore believe they could not have access to it without an army of volunteers showing up at their local course armed with lasers and trucks filled with computers.
Strokes gained statistics offer enormous value to golfers of all levels, and to the industry as a whole. Largely viewed as a “professional statistic”, it will soon become clear that this type of game analysis has just as much to offer the non-PGA TOUR golfer, if not more. The problem, then, is largely one of accessibility. For the hordes of golfers who do not play in PGA TOUR events, there is essentially no access to strokes gained statistics. Golfmetrics, though it was originally designed to analyze the games of amateur golfers for the purpose of academic study, never had the ability or the intention to offer golfers as a whole access to strokes gained statistics. Nearly all of the amateur golfer data in Golfmetrics was collected by Broadie himself, while playing golf with other people. The collection of data was strictly manual, using pencil and paper, and was also entered into the database manually. It was a tedious process and was never made available to golfers generally, but rather served to further Broadie's studies. Eventually, Broadie gained access to ShotLink™ data and turned his analytical attention to PGA TOUR professionals. ShotLink™ data, it must be stressed, provides data only for 150 elite golfers that play in top level PGA TOUR events. There is zero ShotLink™ data collection available to the rest of the estimated 80 million golfers in the world.
Currently, a golfer interested in strokes gained statistics to measure aspects of his or her own golf game would be required to manually collect the necessary data for a game of golf and manually do the necessary mathematical calculations. Even in a best-case scenario, after the tedious process of data collection and analysis, results would be severely limited. Without the ability to transfer data to a database capable of automatic analysis, only the most basic strokes gained statistics could be produced.
Clearly, there is a need in the art to make strokes gained statistics more easily accessible to golfers.
Part of the solution to the problem lies in making the collection of data during a game of golf as simple and non-intrusive as possible, and producing useful, easily understood statistics for golfers without requiring them to execute or understand the analytics which create them. Any data collection system that requires manual recording and/or manual entry into a computer is unlikely to be widely adapted, as it interrupts a golfer during play and/or takes too much time.
The key that unlocks the potential of strokes gained methodology lies in utilizing mobile computing devices to collect data during games of golf and transferring the data to databases equipped to perform strokes gained analysis. Fortunately, mobile devices are already used by many golfers in order to obtain distances during play. These devices offer a variety of functions. Adapting and/or designing these devices to easily collect distance-to-hole data and lie type data provides an elegant solution to the problem of strokes gained accessibility. Using the distance-determining functionality these devices already possess helps streamline the necessary collection of data.
The last several years have seen a rapid expansion in the use of mobile electronic devices during real games of golf, and they offer a variety of functions. These devices include GPS devices, laser devices, hybrid devices utilizing both laser and GPS, and software applications designed for smart phones and other portable computers. These devices are primarily used to determine distances during a round of golf, but often include other features. Because they are so well known in the art, they will only be generally described here. Many companies have had such devices on the market for several years, including Garmin, Callaway, Bushnell, Nikon, Skygolf, and many others. Smart phone applications that serve a similar purpose have also been available for many years, and include apps such as Swing by Swing and GolfLogix.
Common to all these devices and applications is their limited ability to collect data during a game of golf, which currently prevents them from contributing to the production of strokes gained statistics. When devices do feature the ability to collect data, it is typically comprised of score, shot distances, and whether a ball is being played from a tee, fairway, or green. This information is sometimes used to calculate some of the traditional golf statistics, such as driving distance, percentage of fairways hit, greens in regulation, and number of putts. None of the devices attempt to provide strokes gained golf statistics. None are equipped to collect the specific combination of data necessary to calculate strokes gained statistics—the “essential shot data” described above. Where fairway lie determination is implemented, it is accomplished through the limitations of GPS location determination in combination with GPS course mapping, and due to the limitations of GPS accuracy, often erroneously determines whether a ball is in the fairway or not. Lie type is not a determination that is best made using “automatic” methods. Using human judgment to determine lie type is very simple, far more accurate, and much less prone to errors.
There is prior art in the area of data collection, transference to a database, and analytical output to a platform such as a website for the purpose of offering golfers statistical measurements of their games. Some devices, smart phone applications, and websites that use shot data include game analysis tools geared toward the traditional golf statistics such as greens in regulation, number of putts, up-and-down percentage, driving distance and accuracy, scrambling, clubs used, etc. Some devices and smart phone applications which automatically transfer data collected during a round to a database, and in conjunction with a website, attempt to offer more sophisticated statistical measurements than traditional golf stats, but none offer strokes gained statistics.
For example, www.shotstohole.com incorporates data consisting of calculated strokes-to-hole derived from that player's data. The associated U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/504,983 (Publication no. US20130041487) also associated with Application no. PCT/AU2010/001451 (Publication no. WO2011050419 A1), by Shots to Hole Pty Ltd, is for a “Golf improvement Aid” which includes a GPS device that records, in sequence, the distance-to-hole for each shot. The data transfers to a database and is made available to subscribers at www.shotstohole.com. However, the data involved is only distance data, which is insufficient for strokes gained analysis. The system does not provide for or mention strokes gained statistics.
Another patent application similar in concept is “Systems and methods for golf performance analytics”, Publication no. US20080188330, U.S. application Ser. No. 12/012,942 by Prolooper. This is described as “Systems and methods providing statistical analytics of golf performance including text, tabular, graphic, and image-based outputs that include trends information for the golfer, all based upon actual golf play on course situations, wherein the golfer inputs shot data during play, without interrupting the flow of the game, and transfers the shot data for analytics and review online”. Embodiments of this patent describe the transfer of golfer data to a central server using GPS devices that can be used for analysis and interaction by the golfer. The mobile app and associated website, www.swingbyswing.com, do not provide the collection of data necessary for strokes gained analysis, nor do they provide for or mention strokes gained statistics.
Another recent development in data collection technology is a system disclosed in a patent entitled “Golf Data Collection”, U.S. Pat. No. 8,617,005 B2. This patent describes: “A system for golf data collection comprises an apparatus arranged to be worn about the body of a golfer during a game of golf. The apparatus includes a positioning system for determining various locations of a golfer during the game, a tag reader for reading a club held in close proximity to the apparatus around the time of striking a golf ball, and a processor for correlating the location of the golfer with the time at which a tag is read to enable the path of a golf ball throughout the game of golf to be determined.” This concept introduces a novel system for collecting shot data during a game of golf, but fails to include data for lie type, which is an essential element in the production of strokes gained statistics. As such, this invention is incapable of collecting the data necessary to enable strokes gained methodology. There is no mention of strokes gained data or statistics in the patent, and no strokes gained statistics are generated or presented when using the associated commercially available product.
Several similar efforts to implement methods and systems for collecting, transferring, analyzing, and outputting personal golf statistics have been undertaken. However, none of the patents, devices, software, hardware, or smart phone applications known in the art has been adapted to collect the necessary data for strokes gained statistical analysis. They do not employ a means for recording the “essential shot data”, which includes both the distance-to-hole and the lie type classification of a ball at rest both before and after performing a shot in a game of golf. Additionally, none of the systems known in the art mention, provide for, or utilize strokes gained methodology for statistical analysis. Nor do they produce, generate, or present strokes gained statistics.
Clearly, there is a need in the art for methods, systems, and apparatus that facilitate the production and presentation of strokes gained statistics, so that this powerful analytical tool can be made available to any golfer who desires it.